Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has come under fire from Labour government officials after saying he’d vote against sending British troops to Ukraine if a peace deal was reached.
The controversy erupted against the backdrop of a recent summit in Paris, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of readiness to deploy multinational forces in Ukraine after a ceasefire. The goal is to ensure security and prevent possible new aggression from Russia. The UK and France announced the creation of military hubs to train Ukrainian forces and protect weapons.
In an interview with Times Radio, Farage said: “I would vote against it. We have neither the manpower nor the equipment for an operation with no clear end date. “He called the plan” a modern British army on the Rhine without the necessary infrastructure «and noted that the coalition of willing” countries amounts to only two countries — the UK and France.
In response, Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden accused Farage of “parroting the Kremlin line”: This is in the interests of UK national security. I am concerned that some politicians, such as Mr Farage, are immediately echoing the Kremlin’s position and declaring their refusal to support. The Labour Party representative added that Farage’s position was ”Putin’s puppet behaviour“ and ”an insult to those who fight for freedom.”
The criticism has intensified in light of Farage’s past statements, in which he warned behavior and the “provoking the Russian bear” and expressed doubts about the advisability of NATO expansion. Although Farage has toughened his rhetoric toward Putin in recent months, his current position has raised questions about his credibility on national security issues.